Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater Tour, April 10–11, 2027

The Invitation

Three Wright Sites, One Warhol Museum,
One unforgettable weekend

Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935 as a weekend house for the Kaufmann family, Pittsburgh department-store merchants, and he put it not beside the waterfall on Bear Run but directly over it. TIME called it Wright's “most beautiful job.” It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, and in 1991 the AIA named it the best all-time work of American architecture.

A few miles away, on a hilltop above the Youghiogheny River gorge, stands Kentuck Knob — a later, quieter Wright house of sandstone and cypress laid out on a hexagonal grid, with a sculpture garden on the grounds. And at Polymath Park, Wright's Duncan House and Mantyla, both moved here from the Midwest, share a wooded site with houses by his apprentice Peter Berndtson. And on the way back to the airport, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh — seven floors devoted to the city’s most famous native son.

Who goes on the trip? 90% are non-architects, people who just love Modernist architecture and particularly Frank Lloyd Wright; people who have had this journey on their list for years; people who are looking for inspiration for their current (or future) houses.

“No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill.”

— Frank Lloyd Wright, An Autobiography, 1932. Fallingwater followed three years later.

What's Included

Special Features

AIA Continuing Education

Guided touring at three Wright sites. Architects can self-report AIA CEU hours if arranged in advance with the AIA.

RDU-PIT Flight Included

Round-trip direct flight from RDU to Pittsburgh International on American Airlines. Prefer to use miles? Register, email us your plans, and get $200 back.

Private Touring Bus

Our own air-conditioned touring bus with wifi from the moment we land in Pittsburgh until we're back at the airport.

One Night, One Hotel

Holiday Inn Express in Donegal, in the heart of the Laurel Highlands. Free breakfast and wifi.

All Site Admissions

Polymath Park, Kentuck Knob and its sculpture garden, Fallingwater, and the Andy Warhol Museum.

Meals Included

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch both days, and Saturday dinner at Out of the Fire in Donegal.

Pack Light, On Purpose

Carry-on and one personal item only. No checked luggage — it keeps the airport quick and the bus moving.

USModernist Tour Leader

USModernist Tour Leader Angela Roehl knows how to optimize your Wright experience! She's been to Fallingwater over a dozen times.

The Schedule

Delightful Day by Day

Times and order are indicative and subject to change. Flight times are confirmed when airline schedules are released.

Sat · Apr 10

RDU → Pittsburgh → Laurel Highlands

Polymath Park & Kentuck Knob

Fly with us from RDU to Pittsburgh on American Airlines, or do your own air and meet us at the airport baggage claim, then we all board a private bus. First stop: Polymath Park, for a private talk, tour, and lunch among the Duncan House, Mantyla, and the houses of Wright apprentice Peter Berndtson.

In the afternoon, up the hill to Kentuck Knob, the hexagonal Usonian house of sandstone and tidewater cypress that Wright designed in his mid-eighties, and a walk through the sculpture garden on its grounds. Dinner at Out of the Fire in Donegal, then to the hotel to check in.

Polymath ParkDuncan HouseMantylaKentuck KnobSculpture gardenOut of the Fire

Overnight: Holiday Inn Express, Donegal

Wright interior at Polymath Park — Polymath Park

Out of the Fire, Donegal · Photo: Out of the Fire

Sun · Apr 11

Laurel Highlands → Pittsburgh

Fallingwater & The Andy Warhol Museum

Breakfast at the hotel, then to Mill Run and Fallingwater: the terraces cantilevered over Bear Run, the boulder that comes up through the living-room floor, the stair that drops down to the stream. Lunch to go from the Fallingwater Cafe, then it's back to Pittsburgh for a visit to the Andy Warhol Museum.

Seven floors devoted to the city’s most famous native son. Then on to Pittsburgh International for the direct flight home. You'll arrive with fabulous memories, several hundred photographs, and a heart full of Wright.

FallingwaterAndy Warhol Museum

Galleries at the Andy Warhol Museum — The Andy Warhol Museum

Travelers

What people say afterwards

“I travel a lot with all kinds of tours and honestly you run the top tour. The organization, the houses, the group, the fun are all quality events. I am gushing but with good cause.”

“It was extremely well-organized, and everything went like clockwork. We got a lot in and definitely got our money’s worth.”

“Designed and executed in top flight fashion — same as the others I’ve been on. Looking forward to the next one.”

More than 195 tours since 2008, with many returning architecture fans.

Reserve Your Place

Prices

Double Occupancy

$1,649

Per person, sharing a room

Single Occupancy

$1,799

Per person, room to yourself

Mod Squad Members Save $150!

USModernist tours support the unrivalled archive year-round. Mod Squad members come along for $150 less per person. Not a member yet? Join the Mod Squad.

	Standard	Mod Squad member
Double occupancy, per person	$1,649	$1,499
Single occupancy, per person	$1,799	$1,649

Booking & peace of mind

Payment in full is due with registration, and places go in the order they are booked — only 24 are available. Once full payment is made, there are no refunds for any reason except if USModernist cancels the trip. You can, however, transfer your place to another person with at least two weeks' written notice to USModernist (airfare is not transferable).

Want To Do Your Own Flights?

Want to fly from somewhere other than RDU, or use miles? Go ahead and register, then email your flight plans to george@usmodernist.org and you'll get a $200 per person refund within a few days. You're responsible for meeting the group at the Pittsburgh American Airlines baggage claim.

Details

Know Before You Go

Pace & Walking

These houses were built long before the ADA. There are many levels, stairs, and uneven paths. Participants must be able to navigate them without assistance to go on the trip.

Weather

Mid-April in the Laurel Highlands is cool and changeable, with days often in the 50s and 60s and chilly mornings. Layers, a rain jacket, and comfortable walking shoes.

Luggage

No checked luggage! Carry-on and one personal item only.

CE Credit

Architects can earn self-reported AIA CEU hours if arranged in advance with the AIA.

Questions?

Contact Devra Dubroff at devra@usmodernist.org.

The Fine Print

You can transfer your place to another person with at least two weeks' written notice to USModernist; airfare is not transferable.
We strongly encourage everyone to purchase travel insurance.
The itinerary, number, and order of trip events are subject to change without notice or refund.
There is a small but possible risk of an extra overnight stay if buses or flights are delayed, in which case participants are responsible for any additional costs of meals, lodging, transportation, and incidental expenses.
One personal item and one carry-on only. No checked luggage allowed.
As these buildings were constructed many years ago, houses are not ADA-compliant. Participants must be able to navigate many levels and stairs without assistance.
You are responsible for any incidental charges to your hotel room.
Participants must sign a liability release, as is standard with all USModernist trips.
There is NO SMOKING or vaping or tobacco products of any kind at the hotel or on the bus, inside or outside. $250 fine if you are caught or if there is evidence of smoking or vaping.
Personal photography welcome; interior photography rules vary by site. Commercial or drone photography prohibited.
Proceeds benefit the documentation, preservation, and promotion work of USModernist, a 501C3 nonprofit educational archive.

Three Wright Sites, One Warhol Museum,One unforgettable weekend